


An Honest Heart

by dragonflythemuse



Category: Fallout (Video Games), Fallout: New Vegas
Genre: Fluff, M/M, fallout spoilers, other characters are mentioned but im not gonna tag them because i dont wanna fake people out, rated mature for mentioned sexy times, soft boone is soft
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-18
Updated: 2020-02-18
Packaged: 2021-02-27 23:28:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22784089
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonflythemuse/pseuds/dragonflythemuse
Summary: Dustin Sixx has been away from the Mojave after joining a trade caravan to Zion, Utah. His partner, Craig Boone, hasn't heard from him in a few months. They're both happily surprised by Dustin's return.**If you see this work anywhere but Archive of Our Own, then it has been stolen. This work is only available on AO3.**
Relationships: Craig Boone/Male Courier
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	An Honest Heart

During the trek back to his home in the Mojave, Dustin couldn’t help but contemplate the past month or so of his time in Zion. The names and faces, beautiful locations and horrid creatures, even the exotic plants all had an impact on his soul. He thought about the eager face of Follows Chalk upon meeting a man from civilized cities. He thought about the maternal hand of Waking Cloud, who calmed Dustin with her small stories and caring embraces. He thought about the spiritual mind of Daniel who had taught him to become somewhat spiritual on his own. He thought about the burning heart of Joshua Graham, who had gained enough trust in the Courier to get assistance wrapping his wounds. He thought about the Dead Horse tribals, the Sorrow tribals, the Bighorners, the Yao Guais in the mountains. He thought a lot about his experience in the dry canyons north of Nevada. 

His heart felt empty when he walked back through the canyons after destroying the bridge which his tribal companions had passed through. He didn’t want to do it, but he knew he had no choice. If they were to survive, he had to separate them. He was almost tempted to go with them and live life as a Sorrow, but he knew that it was never in his destiny to leave behind what he had. 

He had started an insane life in the Mojave. He held the power of all factions in the palm of his hand with the Platinum chip. He had gained the respect and idolization of so many people, especially those in Goodsprings and Freeside. He wanted to be able to see his friends regularly, like the King, Ringo, Dr. Richards, and others. And above all, he wanted to be held by his lover who had patiently agreed to let Dustin go on this journey in the first place. For the time being, Craig Boone was working as a part-time caravan guard for the Crimson Caravan. Dustin had established good relations with McLaferty, so he felt confident in being treated well. 

But he missed him. He longed for his brief touches, his gentle grunts, and his little ticks. The sound of him inhaling the lethal nicotine of a cigarette, the shuffling of getting his clothes on in the morning, and the feeling of his calloused hands running over Dustin's face were constant reminders that Dustin was living in paradise. The two had a safe home, they had secure finances, and they had nothing to worry about. 

In Zion, he had a lot to fear. White Legs could easily have come at any moment and ambushed the Dead Horses or the Sorrows. He could have died while trying to exterminate Yao Guai’s. Hell, a rock could have fallen and pushed his brain out of order as it had before. He was no longer living this sheltered life being provided to him by wealthy capitalist lords of the desert. Instead, he was a part of a revolution of sorts. He was fighting for the survival of a tribe and in the process, he had become a part of a family. Before their departure, Dustin said he wanted to give them something to remember him by. He had multiple dog tags with his name inscribed on it. He gave one to Daniel, Joshua, Waking Cloud, and Follows Chalk. They said they would remember him for as long as time continued. Daniel said that he would become a part of Sorrow’s history as a savior in times of crisis. Follows Chalk said that he would become another influencing figure for the Dead Horses, just as Joshua Graham had been for them before he departed alongside Daniel. The goodbyes made him cry more than he would have liked. At this point, he knew he would more than likely never see these groups of people ever again. The thought was repeating itself over and over in his mind. 

“Don’t let the thought haunt you,” said Joshua as they walked their way to the tunnel. “Keep us alive in your thoughts. Then it will feel as if we never left.”

Dustin intended on following that advice. They all had left him gifts in a toolbox before they evacuated, and Dustin sobbed when he opened it. He took every gift with him back to the Mojave. He would cherish these gifts for as long as he could.

He turned to look back at the canyon. The rocky pillars decorated the sky as natural towers. The sky was a bright blue, no dust or pollution colored the sky with its sickly color. The natural beauty of Zion was difficult to compare. But he knew his home was back south. So he turned his back on the foreign land and entered the cave to end the journey with the Happy Trails caravan that started one of his favorite chapters of his life. 

\-----

The first view he had upon leaving the cave was the tall tower of his current home. The Lucky 38 was piercing the sky with its fantastic spire, calling all to it like a beacon in the sad world of the wastes. He knew his home was there. No matter how much he missed the clean and almost untouched beauty of Zion in the wastes Dustin had seen, he knew that the things he loved were in the abandoned casino. So he started his march. 

It took him all but a few hours for him to reach the strip. He was moving slowly and quietly in an attempt to prevent any pursuers. He was tired and fatigued. He no longer wanted to deal with violence. He hadn’t truly rested since he first left Vegas for Zion. He longed for the feeling of the plush sheets and cloud-like pillows to consume him. He also longed for the soft yet firm touch of his loving companion. It had been months since he had seen the frown of his lips and the cross of his muscular arms. He wanted to stop and rest, but he moved on for him. He had no idea what he had been up to but he wanted to know. He had to know. 

What he didn’t know was what Boone had been thinking about the day Dustin disappeared into the dark cave to pursue the caravan work. Boone had a lot he wanted to say that he didn’t know he had wanted to until Dustin had gone. All while the sniper had been working with the Crimson Caravan Company, he had a bullet in his pocket. In his spare time as a lookout in Novac, he had learned how to craft bullet casings into jewelry and other artsy crafts. He took one of his sniper bullets and emptied it of the gunpowder. After engraving his initials and Dustin’s initials onto the lining, he repacked the bullet with dirt to give it the heft that Dustin tended to appreciate with newer ammo. He didn’t know what else to do with the bullet now that it was complete. He turned it over in his fingers, admiring his own work. Perhaps he would wear it as a necklace with his dog tags. He laughed at the thought because the boy already had seemingly hundreds of dog tags from the soldiers he had come to meet and befriend. He had the dog tags of Dr. Richards, the Misfits, Jackson at the outpost, Bitter-Root, Hanlon, Manny, and Craig's he wore on a chain with his own dog tag. Lately, though, he’s been putting his dog tags on a simple chain on the back of his duffle bag. It made noise, but Dustin was clumsy enough that sneaking wasn’t something he normally did, only to scope out areas. 

Fuck it, Boone thought. He was going to turn it into a necklace for him to wear. Now, he just needed to formalize how he wanted to approach this topic with Dustin. They both knew that Craig was not a very sentimental man. He very rarely showed his love and affection with the courier, let alone in public. Dustin seemed to understand what he meant by the small touches and grunts of approval or disapproval. The gentle kisses on his cheek, right under his eyes before they went to sleep were enough. Boone always thought he was asleep when he would wrap his larger arms around Dustin and pull him closer in bed feeling the scarred yet soft skin against his torso. And the way Dustin caressed him and kissed him during their most intimate moments? The thought made his heart flutter. 

Asking to marry him? That was a whole different wall he had to tear down and he had no idea how he was even going to try to do it. He wanted to. He wanted to tell Dustin how much he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him. He wanted to tell Dustin he would follow him to the ends of the earth as long as that meant being with him. He was so bad at this. He had time to figure it out, but for now, he decided to put it to rest. It was time to rest up for the next mission. 

\-----

Things were slow at the Crimson Caravan headquarters. Boone was lying in a cot, reading over some old books that Arcade had recommended to him. He usually wasn’t one to read to pass time, but he had cleaned his gun twice, washed his outfit until it looked brand new, and nearly scrubbed the leather off of his boots. He was doing nothing with his hands and he was incredibly bored. There were no contracts, no need for mercenaries, so he continued to sit around all day in the camp waiting for some news of openings. Instead, he heard a lot of chatter outside the longhouse. 

Curious, he stood to walk outside to see what the fuss was about. There was a group of people, mercs and caravan runners alike gathering around someone. At first, Boone struggled to make out who it was so he removed his sunglasses. He saw his beret in the midst of the crowd. He knew it was his because there was a patch next to the logo of the First Recon squad. It was the number 21, which Dustin took off the vault suit first given to him upon his arrival in the Mojave. It added up. He saw the scars on his face and the mismatching brown and blue eyes. He was almost shorter than everyone else as well. 

He stood there, almost unable to move. Dustin had returned home safely. He didn’t die in the trek to Utah. He didn’t get lost. He came home. He went to Zion and came back. In one piece. And from what Boone could tell, he wasn’t injured. He was perfectly safe. 

Boone almost didn’t realize he was running through the crowd to his lover until the group backed away to give him space. Dustin seemingly launched himself into the arms of the sniper and Boone caught him flawlessly. They held each other tight for what felt like hours. Craig felt the hands of the courier running up and down his shaved head as if he didn’t believe he was truly here. He didn’t know he was crying until Dustin stood straight and wiped the rolling tears off of the cheeks of the man holding him. 

They looked at each other in the eye, not saying a word. Dustin offered a tender grin, in which Boon responded with a small smile. It was beautiful and breath-taking for Dustin. That smile was finally in front of his face. It wasn’t his imagination anymore. The smile he loved so much was there. 

He pressed his lips to the snipers, gripping the snipers face as if his life depended on it. Boone deepened the kiss, closing his eyes to feel like the only thing in the world was Dustin in his arms. And even though he wanted to go back to the Lucky 38 for the first time in a few months, he didn’t want to let go of his lover. The hand that wasn’t holding the smaller man to him moved to the back of his head, snaking through the others oily hair to keep their lips locked. 

They had to pull away to breathe despite the reluctance in their minds. Their foreheads rest on each other and Dustin felt Boone’s sight on his lips. Finally, the sniper spoke.

“I don’t think I can even begin to tell you how happy I am you’re home.”

Dustin smiled. “I can feel it, so you don’t need to tell me.”

Boone hummed, allowing Dustin to continue. “I’ve never seen you this affectionate.”

The sniper buried his face in his lover's neck in response. “I didn’t know if you would come back,” he said with a muffled voice.

Dustin smiled and rested his head against Boone’s. “Well, I am. I’m here and I’m ready to go back home so I can shower and sleep with you. Take me home, Craig. I’m ready to relax.”

**Author's Note:**

> Soft Boone is soft. I love making him unnecessarily happy, he deserves it. Anyway, I wrote this after I beat the Honest Hearts DLC because I got emotional and attached and sad that it ended. So yeah. Dustin reflects on his trip. I think I might add a few additional chapters just to like. Make fluffy stuff. I dunno. We'll see. Also no, no one has read this before. I post everything as it is after my own editing.


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